Weather Policy

ceccia · Feb 16, 2014

And I'm sick of people who choose to live far away from work using it as an excuse not to come into work. It was their choice to live that far away and using it as a cop out to call in is bs. Why should it all lie on the people who live closer? Why should they be punished because the others won't get off their butt to come in?

no one has to be "punished", because staffing doesn't have to be that hard!

I work PRN and got calls almost every day last week from facilities that are close to my home, to work for people who lived farther away and couldn't make it in the snow. This is what we're here for, and with the amount of licensed and qualified personnel there is NO reason why every single hospital, SNF, etc. should not have a sizeable per diem pool and use it freely. The only reason why SOME facilities have a problem with using PRN workers instead of browbeating and guilt-tripping their regular staff for being sick, snowed in, etc. is because PRN costs them a few dollars more per hour.

TU RN, DNP, CRNA · Feb 16, 2014

So as I'm reading it you chose to take the job an hour away because you had loan debt that you needed to repay. You CHOSE to take the job, knowing it was an hour away. I understand the the commute is not desirable and even less so in bad weather, but you did make choices. Snowstorms, unlike tornadoes or earthquakes, rarely come out of the blue. You know it's coming and you can make plans to stay with a co-worker or in a Motel 6 at the edge of town if you don't want to pay for a pricey hotel room near the hospital. You can make plans to rent the pricey hotel room with other nurses. Maybe there's a B & B that would love to have some business in the wintertime, or would give nurses a good deal under the circumstances.[/quote']
Reminds me of a silly quote:
"There has never been a slave who didn't choose to be a slave. Their choice may be between bondage and death, but the choice is always there."

ceccia · Feb 16, 2014

I'm not sure I understand what this has to do with supporting each other by showing up for work when scheduled.

You can support your coworkers by attempting to hold management accountable for staffing their facilities, which includes having backup plans for extreme weather situations (accommodations, emergency transport, compensation for those who come in early or sleep at work overnight, using per diem workers - any or all of the above are reasonable and fair solutions.)

MrChicagoRN, RN · Feb 16, 2014

In reality, once you factor in the cost of benefits, the prn staff is not more expensive on an hourly basis.

However, there are obstacles to having "sizable per diem pools". It is expensive to train, maintain competencies, communicate changes, etc to people not here that often. To many, this is a second job, and their availability is limited. We often have to chase them down to give us hours. In order to "use them freely", I would need to limit my full time employees. And if I hire so many per diems that I can't regularly give them hours without canceling my benefited staff, I will lose them.

Its about more than the money.

Mom2boysRN · Feb 16, 2014

I do home health so my situation is a bit different. There have been 3 days that we have been told to see our patients that had to be seen, but other patients were seen at our discretion. Roads were bad and there were some really scary stretches of road, but I worked all 3 of those days. If I really felt my life was in danger driving I wouldn't have gone, but as someone who grew up in a snowy area I rarely feel roads are THAT bad if you are cautious when driving.

You are ultimately responsible for your safety so I guess you do what you feel you can do, but don't whine when your coworkers that made it to work are ticked at you because they worked short, were mandated, or think you are a princess because you called off due to weather. Also if staff is cut and you are one of those without a job because you call in every time weather is bad understand that you brought it on yourself.

When I was in nursing school it was made very clear to me that nurses have to be there, regardless. It's just not about us, it's about the patients. We suck it up, leave our problems at the door, and do our job. People rely on us to do that. People die if we don't do it.

pookyp, LPN · Feb 16, 2014

I think the last thing on someone's mind when finding a job is to whether they'll me able to make it in a snow storm, tornado, etc.

ceccia · Feb 16, 2014

In reality, once you factor in the cost of benefits, the prn staff is not more expensive on an hourly basis.
However, there are obstacles to having "sizable per diem pools". It is expensive to train, maintain competencies, communicate changes, etc to people not here that often. To many, this is a second job, and their availability is limited. We often have to chase them down to give us hours. In order to "use them freely", I would need to limit my full time employees. And if I hire so many per diems that I can't regularly give them hours without canceling my benefited staff, I will lose them.

All valid issues- yet not insurmountable. some facilities make it work and others don't.

SionainnRN · Feb 16, 2014

On the surface it may be a nurses' "choice" to live far away from their hospital but you need to get over that and move on. In my town, there are two hospitals. Two. And neither one was hiring. The nearest from that are over an hour away and WE OWN our home. So when an offer presented itself for me to work for a hospital with a less than desirable commute, as a new nurse with LOAN DEBT, I thought: "Gee, can I really afford to be picky right now?" And ultimately, no. I couldn't. And as a result, if weather conditions are so dangerous that I can't even safely do 5MPH to work, I shouldn't be browbeat for it. End of story.[/quote']
Not the end of the story. You're acting like since you live far away, by choice, you get a "get out of weather free card" and everyone else has to pick up your slack. I know plenty of people who live more than an hour away from work and either rent a room out of someone's house, or get an apartment with out long commuters to share. And if the weather is that bad, you need to go into town early and grab a cheap motel room. Hotel 6 is about $40. Since you knew when you took this job there would be times when weather made it hard to travel, it's your responsibility as an adult to do what needs to be done to get to work on time. It's quite simple.
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SionainnRN · Feb 16, 2014

My town has 2 hospitals one with less than 30 beds in it, and one that I used to work at, and wasn't able to transfer to the ICU. I chose to work 50 miles away and we own our house. I drive a sports car and haven't missed a single night of work due to the weather, and we've had > 53" of snow this winter already. I'm responsible and hold myself accountable to be to work, and be there early.[/quote']
Thank you for being a responsible adult!! I'm sure your coworkers and pts appreciate you coming into work through thick and thin!!
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SionainnRN · Feb 16, 2014

Stop defending yourself. Nurses love beating each other down with whoever is the most sacrificial coming out on top. To many people here, you're supposed to eat, breathe, and sleep nursing. Don't ever show discontent, and take whatever management and your hospital slings at you. If you complain, you are a whiny new grad or need to find a different career. It's pathetic really. In any other profession, no one acts this way. I come from a family of teachers and physicians, and in both cases they would 100% call in if unsafe, no questions asked. And you know what, their coworkers would understand and support the decision, as would their employer. nurses have unsafe and poor working conditions because their attitudes reflect this thread. They don't support each other. They suck up whatever is thrown at them and rather than support those who stand up for their rights, they bring them down. Don't try to explain yourself, just realize that in nursing, you will never have backup when you speak out.[/quote']
I don't know any doctor who calls in because of weather. They rarely have someone to cover their shifts. I've had ER docs work with the flu and in the middle of a blizzard cause there isn't anyone else to do their job. Part if being in this field is knowing that others depend on you!
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futureeastcoastNP · Feb 16, 2014

I do home health so my situation is a bit different. There have been 3 days that we have been told to see our patients that had to be seen, but other patients were seen at our discretion. Roads were bad and there were some really scary stretches of road, but I worked all 3 of those days. If I really felt my life was in danger driving I wouldn't have gone, but as someone who grew up in a snowy area I rarely feel roads are THAT bad if you are cautious when driving.
You are ultimately responsible for your safety so I guess you do what you feel you can do, but don't whine when your coworkers that made it to work are ticked at you because they worked short, were mandated, or think you are a princess because you called off due to weather. Also if staff is cut and you are one of those without a job because you call in every time weather is bad understand that you brought it on yourself.
When I was in nursing school it was made very clear to me that nurses have to be there, regardless. It's just not about us, it's about the patients. We suck it up, leave our problems at the door, and do our job. People rely on us to do that. People die if we don't do it.

People die if nurses call in during weather emergencies? Cut the drama.

ya know what? If hospitals cared enough about their nurses to hire enough of them, then every single nurse wouldn't be necessary. If staffing ratios were more reasonable, then covering patients when 1 or 2 nurses call in during a snow storm wouldn't be such a big deal. It's not the nurses' fault that hospitals care more about profit then their employees lives, and the fact that the culture of nursing is to blame each other rather than those in charge is pathetic and subservient. Rather than be mad at the nurse who didn't feel like risking her life to come to work, you should be angry with management for not having contingency plans, which resulted in YOU being kept at work.

SionainnRN · Feb 16, 2014

I think the last thing on someone's mind when finding a job is to whether they'll me able to make it in a snow storm tornado, etc.[/quote']
It shouldn't be. That's part if what goes into picking a job. In an interview for a job that was 40 miles away from home in the Sierra Nevadas was them specifically asking about my transportation. They made it perfectly clear that weather wasn't an excuse for calling out, no matter how far away you live.
You line of reasoning is why people call in cause they have a long commute, they choose this job that far away and now have to suck it up like a big kid.
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